While anyone who isn’t dressed warmly is at risk in cold weather conditions, some are at greater risk than others for frost bite and hypothermia:
– homeless people
– outdoor workers
– people living in homes that are poorly insulated (with no heat or no power)
– people with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and diseases affecting the blood vessels, people taking certain medications including beta-blockers
– winter sport enthusiasts
– people who consume excess alcohol
– infants and
– seniors.

Wear appropriate clothing.
– Always wear clothing appropriate for the weather. Synthetic and wool fabrics provide better insulation. Some synthetic fabrics are designed to keep perspiration away from your body which keep you dry and further reduce your risk.
– Dress in layers with a wind resistant outer layer. You can remove layers if you get too warm (before you start sweating) or add a layer if you get cold.
– Wear warm socks, gloves, a hat and scarf in cold weather. Be sure to cover your nose to protect it.
– If you get wet, change into dry clothing as soon as possible. You lose heat faster when you’re wet.

I should mention that those tips are generally on the extreme cold warnings, along with tips and explanations of the various warnings when Environment Canada issues a warning. The interesting thing is that the warning for the BC Peace region had the “watch for cold related symptoms” statement while the Yoho/Kootenay warning had the “those at risk” statement.

BTW, if anyone’s wondering, I only post warnings and weather summaries if there’s at least 30cm (1 foot) of snow forecast, extreme wind chills and record lows. For those I’ll show the full weather statement. Any other lesser winter warnings, I’ll only show them if I’m posting any extreme warnings (i.e. less than 30cm of snow, freezing rain, blizzards, snow squalls, etc). As for summaries, I’ll only show provinces and territories that have extreme values. Other provinces and territories that have lesser values, I don’t post.

The only times I’ll post lesser amounts is when it’s spring when winter weather is more uncommon.